BIKERS in the souther suburbs switched their leather jackets and motorcycles for aprons, pots nd pans as they prepared their annual batch of pickled fish yesterday (Saturday).
For the past seven years, the Ottery Boyz MCC motorbike club hosts the Ottery Boys pickled fish run where ride in a convoy to deliver pickle fish and hot-cross buns to the poor and old-age homes on Good Friday.
Although the club has 12 members, more than 200 bikers from neighbouring clubs prepared 150kg of fish in a “fry off”.
The pickled fish is then stored in cold storage as it pickles at a farm in Philippi.
Local businesses, Kaapse Spens, Salmon Lady, Zone Security and Motorcycle Clubs of the Western Cape, helped sponsor the event.
The club was founded by brothers Morné and André Blake 12 years ago. The pickle fish drive began in 2015 after their philanthropic father, Keith Blake, shared a cause dear to his heart.
Morné recalled one Good Friday people came knocking on the door for food.
“The family were really hungry and when my dad wanted to share some pickled fish, he realised that there were only onions left,” he said.
He added: “At that moment he committed to doing a pickled fish drive to communities in need. He would only sit down to eat his pickled fish once the food had been handed out.”
Morné said he took the idea to the club and they’ve made it happen every year since.
Keith, an activist and retired police captain, said feeding people was close to his heart. “I’ll never forget the day some youngsters from Freedom Park were calling, ‘kaptein, kaptein’. They had 10 children with them and I knew we can’t give them scraps.
“I told my wife, Tina, for as long as I live I will not eat pickled fish on Good Friday if I haven’t given some to those in need first,” he added.
“It warms my heart that my sons have taken this up. My wife and I pray about this every year and God is so faithful.”
Morné said his club wanted to break the stigma of bikers being “rof and onbeskof".
“We have more charitable tasks that we carry out throughout the year. We love bikes and we love giving back to the community.”
Morné said his father knows all the community leaders and people running the old-age homes and so it makes it easy to hand out the fish. “They tend to inform dad when they are in need and we try and assist wherever we can.”
When Covid-19 hit in the past two year, the club couldn’t host the pickled fish run with other clubs. Instead, they had fish made and Keith delivered it to community leaders, who helped distributed it.
Morné said they were looking forward to feeding the hungry again this year.
“It makes us feel so good to give pickled fish to little boys and girls that have never had it before. The look on their faces is priceless.”